You may wonder
where the symbol for the new Scum and Villainy set comes from and
what it represents. Until now, much of the symbol's history has
been a mystery. However, after searching through the history of
those wearing it, a complete understanding of the symbol can be
gleaned.*

It is the insignia
of Journeyman Protectors as worn by Jaster Mereel's regiment during
the Mandalorian Civil War, which occurred primarily outside of Mandalorian
space and the reach of Mandalorian law.

The
Mandalorian Civil War
The war began after Jaster Mereel, the "Mandalore" (leader
of the clans), wrote the Supercommando Codex that outlined an honorable
system of war and service. A man named Vizsla formed a band of mercenaries,
called Death Watch, who wished to continue the old "dishonorable
ways" and conquor the galaxy, opposing Mereel. As a result,
Jaster formed the True Mandalorians and the two factions fought
a long and bloody war that nearly brought the extinction of the
Mandalorian Supercommandos. Eventually, Vizsla was defeated by Jango
Fett at the Death Watch bunker on Endor and was later killed by
Boba on Corellia.

Jaster Mereel
was Jango Fett's mentor. Both Jango and Boba Fett's armors bore
the symbols of Jaster's Journeyman Protectors and the True Mandalorians
(the animal skull). In fact, Boba Fett's own armor once belonged
to Jaster Mereel himself. It is interesting to note, though, that
neither Jango, nor his father were Mandalorian, though their home
world, Concord Dawn, was in Mandalorian space.

For the Fetts,
it is a proud legacy, having been handed from Jango's father to
him, and from Jango to Boba, each of which served as Journeyman
Protectors on Concord Dawn.

The
Crest
As a major crop of Concord Dawn, a farm world, wheat was an apt
symbol for the prosperity and tenacity of its Journeyman Protectors,
as well as their ability to live off the land. Jango
Fett himself lived by a wheat field on Concord Dawn. You will also
notice that each tier of the stalk appears as crescent-shaped, as
light shining on planetary bodies, and that the point of the stalk
is much like the point of a spear, lance, or javelin. This is likely
a purposeful representation of the Mandalorian territories, with
Mandalore being the large one at the base of the stalk from which
the others have sprouted. The others would be Gargan, Ordo, Shogun,
and Concord Dawn, respectively.

The red drop
above the blade of grass represents the last drop of blood of the
Journeyman Protectors and their willingness to spend every drop
of their blood to fulfill their assigned duties. The symbol that
looks like a cursive "F" is actually the Mandalorian letter,
Roh, or "R", and coincidentally stands for "fidelity".
The use of these symbols in the crest were likely born as a result
of the code of honor in the Supercommando Codex. The javelin extends
outside the symbol to show that the Supercommando code is not bound
by time or territory, but reaches beyond Mandalorian space, from
before Mandalore and far into the future. This code of honor may
be the reason for Boba's unparalleled success as a bounty hunter.

The
Legacy of Jaster MereelThe
emblem is also found on the helmets of clones during the clone war.
You can see it on the helmet of the clone whose fighter was destroyed
after saying "They're all over me!" Jango himself trained
the earliest 501st and many other clones. Along with their being
cloned from him, this may be the reason for the symbol appearing
on their helmets. The symbol of fidelity would have been very important
to the clones, as well as to the Emperor, who demanded unquestioning
loyalty from the clones.

Further Mandalorian
influence of the clones is seen in the EU where we also see Mandalorian
culture is infused in the clone community. Mandalorian battle songs
are even sung by the clones in the Republic Commando video game.
This symbol is just a small part of the culture shared between Mandalorians
and Clones.

It's a distinguished
heritage and gives the clones, and Boba Fett, a legacy of which
to be proud of; the legacy of Jaster Mereel. It shows that, in spite
of loyalty to a dark master, or independently serving those who
pay the most, honor can be foremost in the life of a stormtrooper
or bounty hunter.

This is not
a set that gives a lot of focus on clones, but we can look forward
to some stormtroopers, Boba-, and Jango-related cards, as well as
finding many Bounty Hunters and cards benefiting them. We hope you
enjoy the new set and look forward to bringing you more great sets.

*Note: The
information in this article regarding the components of the emblem
are speculative and based on no known information, as it has not
been expounded on in the literature to date.

Thoughts
or comments? Visit the message board thread for this article here.

About
the Author
C. J. has been a player of the game since 2003 and was the Text
Finalization Leader of the IDC Rules Sub-committee during FOTR and
SAV. He is currently the Public Affairs Editor. C. J. has written
many other articles for the IDC and Rebelbasers.com and has been
a member of both the Wizards and Rebelbasers forums since January
of 2004, posting under the name Corjay.

The
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